Let me make it clear and simple for you, if you don't believe that people/humans (employees) are the most important resources in your business, your business will be doomed to failure. You will find yourself working in your own business without anybody's help for a long time.
Yes, your employees are people, they are humans and you want to talk to them like they are people (human), you want to treat them with respect like you give respect to a human being, they want to be appreciated and recognized for their accomplishments, they want to be accepted and feel like they are contributing to the success of your business or organization.
As a business leader, you probably already learned that one of the hardest things to do in business is to work with people. That's why leadership and communication skills are so crucial in order to run a successful business.
I went to a doomed Chinese restaurant in Simi Valley, CA. The owners worked in the business themselves. They were rude and crude, not only to their customers, but to their employees. They yelled and screamed at their employees like they shouted at animals. Most of their employees left their business, so they no longer had employees working for them. The restaurant is still there today, but I never see any employee stays longer than a month or two. I no longer go to this restaurant anymore because the owner has no respect toward his customers or employees.
On the other hand, I love to go to another restaurant in Simi Valley, CA. It's a Japanese restaurant; the owner of the restaurant knows how to give respect and appreciation to his employees. When I talked to his employees, every one of them told me great things about him. How nice he is, how considerate he is and how much he cares about his employees' well being. He has a lot of loyal employees working for him and I can tell that his business is growing very well.
He doesn't have to be there all the time to run the business, because he trusts his employees who are loyal to him to run his business. When I talked to the owner of the restaurant, I learned that he has had working experience in leadership position in the past. He is very generous and he respects his customers and employees. Even if I have to drive all the way from home to eat at this restaurant, I will drive 30 minutes to go there because I would rather spend my money there, because they value my business.
It doesn't matter whether you have a restaurant business or a computer business, if you don't know how to treat your employees and customers with respect, they will go away, and you will end up running your own business day and night, therefore your business won't grow anywhere.
Anything you don't respect will eventually leave your life or your business. If you don't respect your husband or wife, he/she will eventually leave you. If you don't respect your employees, they will surely leave you and your business alone. If you don't respect money, if you will eventually go broke. Anything you don't hav
Praise your employees in public and correct them in private! You don't have to announce people's mistakes in public! There were many times when I worked for my employer that I was being corrected in public. Every time they did that to me, I felt like fleeing to another work place. I met so many employees who left their work because their boss loved to humiliate them and embarrassed them publicly. Also as the leader of your business, you must learn to choose your words wisely and learn how to build your employees up through your words and not to tear them down.
When your employees are doing well and he/she contributes a lot to your business, don't delay in giving them a promotion, praise or appreciation. One thing I noticed the most from business owners is they love to criticize their employees when they do wrong, but they never give their employees praise, appreciation or promotion when they do well. I can assure you that your employees will pack their bag and leave your business, if you never give your employees praises, appreciation and promotion. People love to know that they are growing and they love to know that their efforts and hard works are appreciated and recognized!
Don't delay to give them praise, positive reinforcement and appreciation when your employees are doing well! The longer you postpone or delay in giving your employees praise, appreciation, and positive reinforcement, your employees will become frustrated and eventually, they will leave.
Learn how to teach! Yes, train and teach your employees! Give them sense that they are learning and growing. Anything that doesn't grow will eventually die! Send them into training seminars; buy books or training videos for your employees. The most successful and big companies out there give their sales people constant training! They make sure that their sales force is up-to-date and they are fresh. They are willing to invest their resources on their employees. 3M will let their employees to become an intraprenuer within the company. If your employees feel like he/she doesn't learn anything or feel like they are not growing, they will find another place that will give them the opportunity to grow.
Let your employees know that they are important to you and your business. If you make them feel like they are not important to the business, they will become frustrated, unhappy and they will go somewhere where they feel needed and important.
I wish you the best in your business and I hope this article has helped you! God bless you!
(C) Copyright 2006, http://www.pebden.com/, Author: Entjik Jeffrie, CEO of Pebden.com